


For Blood Then for Love

by TheGreatWicked



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Action, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2013-06-09
Packaged: 2017-12-13 23:05:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/829880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatWicked/pseuds/TheGreatWicked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When there is no blood to die for what would you die for then? Would you look beyond your own suffering and find love? Or would you allow yourself to wither away? When you cannot live for blood or family, you must learn to live for love and make your own of both. Malik/OFC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Secondly: The character of Al Mualim is a tricky guy to write, I've read a lot of fanfiction where he is seen as a frightening giant with not a lick of a sense of humor or even a kind disposition. I haven't played the game yet as my copy seems to have vanished… I suspect Narggles. I have, however, been watching video clips of characters to best nail their personalities and as such I've decided to portray Al Mualim as a fairly kind hearted man. Not to say that he's a barrel of cute and cuddly, but I like the image of a father figure, not a 'master' know what I mean? Anyhow thats what I'm going for, hope you all like it.
> 
> Lastly: Since there is so little information on some of the characters at this time I'm going to state that for story telling facts that Malik and Kadar's father Faheem is alive and well. I'll add more characters as they come into play, once more read, review and enjoy!

It was Uncle's idea to press onward, the last six years had been hard on us both and it was not even a fortnight ago that he had come to my room and informed me that he had greatly desired to see Masyaf. It had been his home as long as it had been mine and I could not lie, I too had greatly missed it. But as much as I had longed to see it, I worried about Uncle's health. The last two years had been hard, he would tired of traveling sooner, his aches and pains would weary him more and at night he would toss and turn missing the comfort that his mattress afforded him. To me, this was not a wise idea, I worried for him greatly, as he once doted upon me as a child, I now doted upon him. But onward we press and within two days we will be looking upon the mountainous defenses of Masyaf Castle. 

Its high towers and walls both a frightening and comforting visage, you would have to be mad to ever think of mounting an attack. The natural mountains that surrounded it a first line of defense and even if you made it past that then you would have to deal with those who dwelled within. Those in the white robes. The Assassins. It was for this reason that many decided to make the trip to Masyaf, to begin a new life there, for those who called Masyaf home, would be protected always. It was my home. 

Yet, even now as I think upon the mountains, towers and walls it will not the same as it had once been. Six years wis a long time and whether my travels and experiences had made me paranoid or overly cautious, I cannot say. I now see things that I had not noticed before, things that my training had taught me to look for. Large wooden beans held back by a series of ropes and pulleys to fend off attackers. Armed men on the walls poised to attack, swords at the ready. Hidden alcoves where assassins in their pristine white robes hid in the shadows waiting to strike. Is it the death of childhood innocence? Or had they always been there? I cannot not say, but I do remember something that Uncle had told me long ago: Childhood is over the moment you know you're going to die.

Six years have seen many changes in Masyaf and even more changes in myself. I wam no longer the girl I had been on the day I left. Time moves on as only time knows how, surely there are some things that had changed, and there were some that had not. Yet, as I soon will be looking upon my home, I feel an unfamiliarity with this place, the world was darker, shadows longer and I was less sure of the things I had always known. There were many changes and I found myself thinking upon this place that I had always known and although I was home I felt I did not truly know this place and these people. 

~An excerpt from the journal of Leah Vesuvia Rachel Rahamin

OOO

"Leah," The shear mass of the mountains did little to hold back the harsh desert sands, it was still abrasive and made the hood she wore a real comfort. The woman turned to face the source of the voice, not much of her face was visible, through the hood and scarf only her eyes could be seen, very unusual. As a child some had thought she had been touched by the devil, others said angels, or Allah himself. One eye the color of deep jade, the other blue gray like the sea after the storm. Stray wisps of dark brown hair loose and flying in the desert wind. She gave no vocal response to the voice but faced him, "Are you alright?"

"Of course," Her response was nonchalant, not a shred of emotion. 

The elderly man looked on in skepticism, knowing from years of experience that although the woman has good at hiding her thoughts and emotions he was much better at reading them. With only her eyes visible he could see the conflict deep within them. "I trust you have not forgotten our agreement," 

She ripped her eyes away and back to the sands, looking at nothing that would give her thoughts away, she did not want to talk on the subject of which the man spoke of. Yet she couldn't forget it, she had spent the last six years half dreading their return to Masyaf. "I have not." She replied hoping to say no more.

"I will book no resistance from you, Leah. We had a bargain." Leah wore a pained expression and inwardly rolled her eyes, she knew better then to give her uncle any sass. Only had to learn that once. A sharp backhand from him at an early age had set her straight when once her quick tongue had spoken before her wit caught up. Once more Leah's gaze was cast out across the sands, looking on the mountains with a pang of regret and sadness. The last six years had gone by so swiftly, there were times when Leah would glance back through her journal and wonder where it was that the time had been stolen to. Nonetheless she could not forget that day and the compromise that she had struck as a young girl in her eagerness to see the world. 

It had been only six years ago, that she had left this place as the sun was rising, it seemed appropriate now that as she returned the sun had just set, and the brilliant shades of yellow, orange, red, purple and eventually the inky blackness of night. Her heart fell in her chest, she had been so eager to leave, so anxious to leave and explore, she wanted to learn. When her uncle had first made the proposition to her she did not think on it as she was known to do, instead she snatched it and heartily agreed to her Uncle.

There was no way around it, she knew that it was bound to happen eventually, it was the way of the world. It happened everywhere and to everyone, although Leah had always been an exception to most rules there was one that she was not. Not even one as special as Leah. Always an exceptions to rules yet this rule was absolute. 

She looked to the darkening horizon and sighed heavily thinking it an appropriate visual metaphor. "I know what I must do." She finally replied as they continued onward, she looked out into the deserts and watched as the sands danced for her, playing out an old memory.

OOO

Although she remembered it everyday she didn't like to think on it, part of her wondered if that pain and danger was what her Uncle sought to protect her from when he traveled. Was that why he always denied her to accompany him when he left? Leah never knew and for years she accepted that it would never change.

Yet with each year that passed as she grew older, her inquisitive nature peaked its nose around the corner again and again. However time and time again she ignored it, or at least she tried to, she felt her spirit diminish. It wasn't until the eve of her fifteenth birthday that she spoke of it. Her uncle had been in his personal study accompanied by Rebecca, lecturing him for his lack of concern for the state of his chambers. 

If Leah was controlled, organized, neat and punctual her uncle was most certainly the polar opposite. Not to say that he was volatile, just he had his own agenda. Not to say that he was a mess, he just had so many thoughts in his head it was hard to keep track of them all. Not to say that he was a slob, he just had greater matters to attend to. And it wasn't that he had no concept of time or respect for it, merely that he had earned his right to take his time. 

"I say someday you will not have a woman as good as I to tend to you! What would you do if I suddenly decided to cease my work here?" Rebecca often grew tired of Hamid's antics and more so his often hidden smirk beneath the graying strands of his beard, he knew she was only jesting. The exchanges often made him laugh, this drove Rebecca to agony. 

"You jest, Rebecca, surely. What would you do with yourself if you did not have Leah and I to look after?" 

"In the first place I need not look after Leah, that girl is the only reason your ways have not yet driven me mad!" He chuckled softly, indeed, while he had not been looking Leah had grown up, and while most girls her age were either betrothed or married, Leah remained and he greatly dreaded the day she would belong to another man. He hoped the one was worthy. "And in the second place, I would have the time to rest my senses and enjoy myself!"

Leah leaned against the door frame making herself known, having learned years ago that she could not hide from anyone in Masyaf Castle. She smiled at the exchange and joined in.

"Uncle are you baiting our dear Rebecca once more? It is not kind, Uncle." Rebecca threw up her arms in exclamation.

"Ah! The angel speaks!" She stepped forth to stand beside Leah, placing her arms about the girl. She often referred to Leah as an angel, yet everything in life comes in pairs and if Leah could be an angel she could certainly be a trickster as well. "Talk sense to this man! Perhaps he would listen to your wise council." Her uncle leaned back in his chair awaiting the talking he was expecting, yet Leah's eyes said there was something else.

"Uncle, it is unkind for you to play a game without inviting me!" Rebecca threw her arms up once more in exclamation, Leah the trickster had emerged from the door in the guise of an angel. 

"You have corrupted this girl, Hamid! She continues this work of yours to drive me to madness! And when you die, which may in fact be very soon this girl will be left to continue these horrid games!" It was all just games and silliness and they all meant no harm, it was almost a family game. Rebecca shook her head and went about her work, gathering laundry and cleaning up, refusing to be drawn into another verbal match with either of them.

Leah stood behind her uncle and hugged him, placing a kiss to the top of his head, sneaking a glance at his work. His scratchy writing almost impossible to decipher with only a seconds glance, sometimes she wondered if he planned it that way. 

"What have you done today, my dear Leah?" 

"Work in the library, uncle. Nothing of great consequence." He paused placing a hand over her arm in love. Although Leah was his adopted niece and not blood, he loved her all the same. Hamid had never taken a wife, being that the only woman he had ever loved died in sickness many years ago. He'd often looked at Leah and thought that she would have been the daughter he never had with the woman he had loved long ago. 

"Nothing of consequence?" He eyes her in contemplation, as though searching for a hidden meaning. "Surely you must have found, read or heard something of interest?"

Leah stood beside her uncle with a knowing grin, "Well, I may have heard something interesting…"

"Aha!" Her uncle exclaimed throwing his quill down and pushing his scrolls aside, turning his attention to Leah in an extraordinary fashion. "And what has my little mouse heard?" Little mouse. His pet name for Leah, as a child she liked to try and tiptoe around him to catch him unawares. It never truly worked he always knew where she was but he often pretended and after a tantrum at having stumbled and given herself away, he began to call her his little mouse.

Leah cracked her knuckles in nervousness, earning her a sharp chastisement from Rebecca, "A young lady should not be so crass!" She would say, and she would slap Leah's hands. yet still, whenever nervous she could not help herself.

"There is excited talk among the scholars and there were whispers from the novices today." Her uncle watched and waited, knowing Leah often stalled when she greatly desired something and was nervous of asking. "They say that a great victory has occurred against the Crusaders and that there is cause to celebrate very soon."

"I have heard similar talk," He replied, waiting further. 

"And with this victory a decision to perhaps strengthen our Order by reaching out to our brothers and sisters in far away lands." He nodded and she continued, wringing her hands now "I have heard talk that, perhaps it would be you to journey forth."

"Well, that is something interesting." He replied suddenly loosing interest and understanding what Leah truly wanted to discuss. 

"I am grown very much now uncle, do you not agree?"

"I would," He hesitated.

"And would you think that I have grown smarter and stronger and calmer then in my youth?"

"I suppose."

This was it. Now or never. "Uncle, if this is so then I request to go with you." There it was. She waited as silent moments passed, even Rebecca stopped in the doorway to listen. It was she who comforted Leah when her uncle left and she who would dry Leah's tears and tell her stories to ease her sadness. She knew how greatly Leah wanted to travel and learn and see and grow, she hoped Hamid, would see this too.

He sighed heavy like an old man should, an old man who was weary with a terrible knowledge. The sigh of a man who felt a great sadness and desires to end it by giving in but he knew he could not, he loved her too greatly to endanger her. He picked up his quill and reached for a scroll again. "My dearest child," Leah's hope diminished, he always called her 'child' as he was about to deny her. "I have said to you many times that the world is a dangerous place, and the open road is not a suitable place for a young woman of purity. But perhaps I have merely been a selfish old man," He paused now, as though wrestling within himself a moment. What reason was there to deny her? She had indeed grown up into a fine young lady, she was wise now and stronger and it was said that there was no finer shot with a bow in Masyaf. As the fight continued within him, a memory most horrid entered his mind.

The memory of the sky so thick with black smoke that at high noon it was as dark as night, and the ground stained with the blood of many innocents. The groans of the dying and the silence of the dead, destruction everywhere. And the memory of a little child, her face smudged with soot from the smoke as her home burned, and dried blood on her clothes from her loved ones as they died around her. The fragility of that little child and how quickly it could have been snatched away. The world was often an unkind place to those who were not prepared, was Leah truly prepared to see it so? He didn't know. Did he want to know? With the decision to allow her to go he would loose a part of her, that part of that sweet little girl he saved so long ago. And yet if he denied her, more tears that were certain to be shed, hidden now. Alone. He knew what he had to do.

"No." Leah felt her heart fall once more, only this time it would stay there. She knew better then to argue this now, the child within her would cry before her uncle and beg him to take her with him, but Leah was no longer a child. And she knew that she would shed her tears in private, she sadly sat down and cast a glance at Rebecca, who gave her a reassuring look of compassion before leaving the room. 

There were several moments of silence, where Leah sat looking at the floor, her uncle with a quill in his hand desiring to write and yet his hand did not move. He relinquished the quill and stood up walking to his window looking out at the stars searching for words to comfort Leah, but nothing he could say would make her smile. "I know you think you have grown Leah, and you have. You shine brightly with a strong heart and a wise mind. You are no longer a little child, and while I would have you travel and learn of the world I can think only of the day I found you." He paused, allowing Leah to think on the sour memory, hoping she would see what he saw. "The world is dangerous Leah and on the road, to travel the world. I would fear too much, that I could not protect you. I would give my life to keep you safe, Leah. But in the midst of chaos, those choices cannot always be made. I will not endanger what I treasure most."

She had heard this many times and each time she felt as a small child again, but she was no child. She could not sulk this time, her uncle had taught her, that you must fight for the things you desire and fight for this she must. Leah stood up and approached her uncle, steeling herself.

"I am not made of glass, uncle. I will not shatter. I am not a child, I am grown woman. And I am not weak, you need not protect me. I must do this to grow further, I cannot do this if I am locked away like a caged bird!" Leah did not shout but she spoke with conviction, feeling herself trembling within. Her uncle heard this and wished that she would let the subject go, he opened his mouth to speak but Leah continued. "Uncle! Did you not say that one day I would be able to go out among the world? Have not the other scholars say that it would be good for me? If I am to stay here for always then I will die from within!" 

It was at hearing this that her uncle had been gripping his staff with angry and torn hands, that he had had enough of her casual expressions of death.

"Enough!" He shouted silencing Leah's spirit instantly. "You speak of death and yet you know so little!" He turned to face her, a different man now. No longer the wise old sage but now a shadow of the man he had once been: a bringer of death. "You think you shall die here? Of what? Within these walls you are protected by many because it is the seat of power within our Order! Your tongue has grown sharp too! You think that your meager skills with a bow will protect you? There are men out there Leah!" He pointed to the window to drive his point. "Men who do not care for troublesome women who think they are entitled to what they desire! You think they will spare your life? Your innocence? What are you to them? You are nothing but a troublesome little girl who knows nothing of which she speaks!" He turned once more to look upon Leah, the fire from within him had now been shushed at having seen her face. 

There sadness in Leah's eyes that he had never seen before, not only had he shattered her hopes of adventure but he had belittled her as well. It pained him now to look upon Leah, the fire that was always lit was now nearly out. She would fight him no more for this, she looked to the floor now as Rebecca came behind her placing her hands on the girls shoulders in a comforting manner. Although she did understand what Hamid was trying to tell Leah, she did not approve of what he had just spoken to her. She looked him in the eye trying to convey this to him and he understood, he had perhaps said things that need not have been said. His temper cooled, he instantly regretted his words. 

"Someday you may understand why I have said what I have, and done what I have done." He paused seeing no reaction from Leah at all. "Now go, 'Isha is upon us. And we all could use some rest." Leah nodded glumly and turned to leave as her uncle reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, recoiling instantly.

OOO

Her heart had been beaten but even a broken heart still beats, over time it learns to heal and hope again. Leah's heart was not as quick to heal, the few times that she had known sadness and born it upon her face she was inconsolable for weeks. She cried her tears alone and wore a vacant expression, her laughter was not heard, nor were her eyes awake and alive. As a child it had been Rebecca that had taught her that her sadness was to be kept behind closed doors and that it was practice to be a woman of iron on the outside. Through the years Leah had grown to accept this and she did just that, kept her tears silent, even when her Uncle had desired to wipe them away. 

She would cry later, alone with Rebecca holding her as a mother did her child. But on that night, she would have to hid her sadness, there was talk of a celebration in the air.

OOO


	2. Chapter Two

Six years and countless adventures had taught Leah about a world that few people knew of, a world of secrets, a world of the unseen. Things that she had never known or noticed before were now the things that she looked for in all settings, she had left Masyaf a bright and excited if not, naive girl and returned a student well schooled of the hidden world, cautious, calculating, aware. 

The only light came from torches and they softened the edges of the encroaching darkness, giving the perfect amount of light and where there is light there must always be shadows. Places to hide. And as she looked on gradually her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting finding the edges of their pristine white robes. The wearers of the robes moving swiftly as though ghosts who existed stepping in and out of reality. She counted three dozen of them at first, then she quickly lost count, and remembered they she was not assessing a threat as she had done before. She had no need to take note of the knives, and the hidden blades, the swords, the few bows here and there. Her lips curved into a slight smirk when she thought of the assassins stringing and lining up their shots with their bows, bows weren't exactly a tool of the assassin yet they served a valuable purpose. Many thought them to be the weapon of a coward, she disagreed with this opinion. It was not the weapon of the assassin, and Leah was not an assassin, she was a fighter in mind and soul.

Travels had brought hardships that Leah had had to overcome and every time she did, evolving and learning, becoming better. Having developed a liking for a weapon at an early age due to being a girl, not being considered very strong or a good fighter, she picked it up and grew with it. Six years of travels had taught her many things, she knew the weapon strung over her bcd as though it were her closest friend. She could spy the right type of wood for a good bow from a hundred feet away, she knew its proper weight and when experience had taught her that people could fail you, she knew that as long as she had her bow, it never would.

Her smirk faded when she saw their eyes falling upon her and her uncle, they followed their movements until they arrived at the large gate, the heavy wooden doors stood over fifty feet tall had seen many battles and still they stood. The doors were solid and strong, she remembered how she felt the first time she saw them as a child, it seemed so long ago. 

Two assassins stood, arms crossed over their chests at the door, silent and yet intimidating guards, they had no visible weapons. Not even swords on their person, one looked to the other then to Leah's uncle, Hamid. Recognizing him instantly, they stood a little straighter and quickly snapped their left arms over their chests and bowed at the waist, deeply in respect. Leah was no stranger to this, knowing full and well that before he was a respected scholar who resigned to researching in the library with other scholars, he had once too been an assassin. His hidden blade had spilled the blood of countless men and possibly women. She had never asked of her Uncle's 'stories' part of her did not want to know.

They passed through the doors and led their horses to the stables, they had ridden for two days straight and they were both very tired. Leah took the reigns of the horses as her uncle rubbed the flat of his back in soreness, it felt good to stretch her legs after so long of riding in one position. Her uncle began to reach for his packs and satchels, his joints cracking as he moved.

"Uncle, go in, I will attend to the horses. The grandmaster will probably be expecting you." He nodded, and turned to the door of the stables looking at the empty courtyard, letting out an audible sigh, happy to be home.

"Very well, Leah. I will go in, see to the horses and then straight to bed. The journey has been long and we both would do well with some sleep. Tomorrow the wheel turns full circle."

"Yes uncle." She responded as she began to unload their bags and their items, they always traveled light so there wasn't much to burden her with. The horses were tired too and after removing their saddles, brushing them down, feeding and watering them. The poor beasts were tired and they reveled in the sanctuary that the stables offered. 

With the horses tended too Leah picked up their belongings and began the walk through the courtyard, past the training yards, up the stairs to the main halls and up at the top of the steps stood a figure that wore a tired smile. Leah smiled in return and moved a little quicker to meet the figure.

"Well, well, six years ago I bid goodbye to a little girl and here now I see the woman before me." 

"Hello, Rebecca." The woman drew Leah into her arms and hugged her brushing her hand over her dark brown hair. 

"Welcome home child." Rebecca hadn't changed very much still the same kindly smile, a few more wrinkles around her eyes, a few more greying strands of hair loose, but the same woman whom Leah had missed greatly. "Come now, lets get you upstairs." Rebecca took some of the bags and lead Leah through the halls, the same halls that she had skipped through as a child. The warm stone walls had remained unchanged, Rebecca had struggled up the stone steps age making it a little harder then it had been in her youth. 

Her room had remained very much unchanged, not a speck of dust in sight all probably thanks to Rebecca. Rebecca had taken the bags and placed them on Leah's desk ushering her towards privy where she had drawn hot water for a bath. Leah sighed in relief not having had a hot bath to sit in and relax for months at best, more often then not the waters were cold as ice and her baths were quick. But now she was home, Rebecca ushering her out of her travel stained clothes and into the hot water.

Rebecca asked no questions of the whitened scars that dotted and dashed along Leah's fair skin as she sank into the hot water. Scars that had not been there when Leah left. The heat stinging her flesh for a moment before a wave of euphoria washed over her and Rebecca left to gather fresh clothes and some food. The room fell to silence as Leah looked at the cathedral window out into the night where the only light came from the stars dotting the sky. There were no thoughts in her head, this was a rare occurrence, there were no questions, no concerns, no reminiscing of old memories. There was nothing. 

OOO

The Grand Master's private study was not a lavishly decorated room, there was little sign that a grand master resided there. The room wasn't overly large, it was sparsely decorated, a desk, a bed, a privy. Nothing special, but that was as it should have been. Even a grand master had once been a novice. As years of experience had taught him, just because you rose through the ranks did not mean that you should forget to be humble.

And the grand master was a humble man, he lived like his assassins lived, although most of them lived in a large barracks within the walls of the castle the only difference being that as a grand master Al Mualim rated his own private room and study. 

There was nothing about this man that came across as intimidating as he waited in the dim light of his study. There was a single oil lamp that cast more shadows then it eliminated, they cloaked him well and he liked the darkness. Yet once his door opened he stood up and greeted Hamid like an old friend, the two men had been novices together, killed together, lived together. Although they had not always seen eye to eye on things, the two men respected one another. 

"Hamid." Al Mualim clapping a hand on Hamid's shoulder. "Still alive I see?"

"And kicking, you're not quite as frail as I'd have thought you to be." Hamid chuckled, it was good to see his brother. Good to be home. 

"Did you journey well?"

"In peace and relative safety," The two men sat down in the dim light and they began to talk of much more serious things.

"I see, and Leah?" It was a loaded question in every sense of the word. Hamid's face grew a little darker and he nodded, leaning back in his chair. "I see. It seems we have much to speak on, does she know?"

"She knows what she needs to know." Al Mualim nodded.

"Has she spoken of Alexandria?" 

"She insists that she doesn't remember much. It makes sense, I suppose." Al Mualim poured a glass of water and offered it to Hamid. "She dreams about it though, I've seen it. She has nightmares, she cries out in the night, she fights sleep. But to me, she has not spoken of it. I believe she knows she's in danger."

"What plans have you made for her?"

"The time has come for her to keep her end of the bargain, I believe that perhaps I should… help her along." Al Mualim chuckled lightly as Hamid's antics. 

"Help her along? I trust you have devised a plan?"

"I have some ideas, I believe she would be safest with someone who has… experience." Hamid drank his water, wetting his lips before continuing. "Tell me, have there been any new masters?"

Al Mualim nodded with a knowing smile, why had he not thought of it sooner? A master assassin. Hamid was a smart man. "There has been no man who has been… exceptional. However there are a few men who have shown great promise. I believe that perhaps they may achieve that rank."

"Ah, and who might that be?" Al mualim raised an eyebrow, as though Hamid must have already known. "Just like their fathers, aren't they?" Al Mualim smiled.


	3. Chapter Three

For Blood, Then for Love

Summary: Herein lie the personal accounts of Leah Vesuvia Rachel Rahamin, emissary and scholar to the Levantine Assassin Order. 

When there is no blood to die for what would you die for then? Would you look beyond your own suffering and find love? Or would you allow yourself to wither away? When you cannot live for blood or family, you must learn to live for love and make your own of both. Malik/OFC

Authors Note: A HUGE apology if I have any of this is incorrect, I mean NO   
disrespect at all! If any of it is wrong let me know and I will fix it straight away! 

OOO

Leah found no sleep, despite how the hot waters warmed her to the bone and her muscled ached for the softness of a pillow or her bed. In six years Leah had learned to sleep anywhere, even with the camels, she had gone for days without sleep and remained alert and awake. Although her body ached for sleep her mind would not allow her such things. 

The details of the arrangement made between herself and her uncle the week before their departure had been penned not more then the next night. Like diplomats they had met in the stacks of the library and a bond had been written and both Leah and her uncle had signed it. He kept it in safe keeping throughout their travels just in case Leah had any idea's about backing out of the arrangement. 

I. I, Leah Vesuvia Rachel Rahamin will conduct myself accordingly as a scholar and emissary of the Levantine Order of the Hashsashin. My behavior at all times is a reflection of my Order, my family and my people. At any time if my behavior reflects poorly upon my home and people it will result in my immediate return to Masyaf and latter terms as specified within this bond will become null and void. Further penalties will be exacted upon my return.

The musty halls hadn't changed much and although she was tired she knew for a fact tomorrow afternoon the bond's second part would be in effect. Which meant no more late night wanderings, no more travel clothes of trousers and boots, no more being alone so to speak, and she would not be permitted to speak a word. It was all part of the agreement that had been drafted. 

But Leah didn't want to think of it now, there was only the sound of her footsteps on the stone floor, a soft hush over the main hall. The banners that hung on the walls, evenly spaced were still as crisped and white as the robes the men wore, the 'A' a deep red, not quite the right shade of blood, as Leah had learned blood was not as simple as red. It was something darker, almost black at times. She looked down at her hands, now clean and dried there was not a spec of dirt or sand upon them but the longer Leah starred, the dull memory of blood coating her hands. From the first drop of blood, she never truly felt clean again.

Looking up from her hands she thought back on the night where this room was the stage of where her life had changed and gone off into a direction that she never imagined. The thin veil that separated her from that night gradually lifted and she watched as the room was transformed.

Torches sprung to light, bonfires that rose up in the center of the room, music that materialized as clear as she remembered it, long tables and colorful pillows adorning the floors while men and women sat in their clusters happily chatting and lounging about in comfort as the nights activities unfurled.

It had been a celebration for a successful mission against the invading forces of the Templars, randomized attacks which had been ordered on many villages in the province all at the order. Some cold hearted man who had no concern for the lives that he extinguished, what was his name? Richard? Roderick? Well, it didn't matter. The people were safe again.

Al Mualim had called for a large celebration, there were hours of feasting and music and dance. The courtesans had dressed in their finest and sat in pockets evenly divided among many of the men, charming them with their pretty faces, and offering them food from their fingertips. The dancers moving in a sultry manner their hips moving and swaying with the lush music. The fabric of their clothes from exotic lands and the shimmering of jewelry beckoned the men closer like sirens singing their songs. 

The tables were covered with an array of exotic foods from many lands, fruits and cured meats took up every space available. Masyaf was certainly not a barren place but foods and celebrations of this scale were not a common occurrence but when they did happen all the stops were pulled out. Leah had greatly looked forward to the nights events once the assassins had returned, their mission a success the Grand Master had concluded that such labors deserved fruits to reward them. She now sat with her friends, across from her were several of the novices who had only recently earned their hoods. It was not good manners to hide your face when dining but some of the novices were far too excited to remove them, at least until their masters had made them and begrudgingly they did. 

Although Leah's spirits had been sorely bruised from the berating from her Uncle, Rebecca had soothed her sadness and tears, and despite that her smile hadn't shone as brightly as it usually did Leah found amusement in this and laughed with many others ad the boys lowered their hoods disappointed that they could not wear them proudly. Regardless they did enjoy the nights events. Leah's close friend Nasira, had known of her depressed spirits and did what she could to raise them.

"Leah, look at them! Have you ever seen anything more splendid in your life?" She swooned over the colorful materials that the dancers and courtesans wore so proudly. 

Leah smiled softly to her close friend and looked on, entranced by the bright colors and the shimmering gold coin belts that hung low on their hips, the brilliantly painted designs on their hand and feet, the lush glittering gemstones that adorned their crowns. She knew it to be Nasira's attempt to cheer her up, and although it only half-heartedly worked Leah was appreciative of Nasira's antics. "Silly Nasira, always dreaming." She replied, letting Nasira pull her into a happy hug.

"Fine then," Nasira stood up and picked up a red sash from one of the dancers that had been discarded and forgotten about. "You be the princess!" Nasira took the sash and wrapped it around Leah's hair and over her face, veiling all but her eyes. Those stunningly amazing eyes. "Our Princess Leah! With a memory that no knowledge can escape and eyes that shine as brilliantly as exotic jewels!" It worked, Leah cracked her usual bright smile and laughed at Nasira's antics.

"For all your silliness Nasira, you are a good friend."

"Only a good friend?" Nasira stood up and grabbed Leah's arm dragging her out from behind the table and into the firelight where those who dared to were dancing. "I must be slipping! I suppose only a good friend would throw her best friend out to dance alone," Leah gasped in shock and potential embarrassment as she was not one to stand out of a crowd, let alone by herself. "But a best friend, would dance too and make a fool of herself too!" Nasira laughed and pulled at the sash, taking on end and placing the other in Leah's hand, Nasira always the leader began to dance and twirl around. 

In mid twirl, Leah's skirts flared out and her sash flying about in a circle, her sadness lost with the music, it was then that Nasira spoke to Leah "Keep dancing! Even if you are alone, dance and forget your troubles! Never forget, we are always behind you Leah!" With that Nasira briefly took off from the floor, leaving Leah in a sudden flush of color to her cheeks as she now noticed that many eyes were upon her. Her feet felt as though she'd been rooted to the spot and all were watching waiting for her to fall or realize how foolish and alone she was. The twirls stopped and she couldn't do anything but stare back at those who looked at her as though they were judging her. 

Several long moments passed and as she was ready to run from the floor and hide in the shadows until someone's hand seized hers, Nasira. With a bright and happy smile now accompanied by several other girls, other friends, equally shy until Nasira had seized their hands and forming a human chain, they began to dance once more and weave in and out of the 'chain' links all the while laughing and smiling, enjoying themselves. They all stood on the precipice of adulthood, there were similar expectations of all of them, and yet here, they were girls at play. For a little while longer anyway.

Leah herself was swept away in a cloud of euphoria when she tasted some of the sun sweetened fruits and delicacies of other lands. She especially enjoyed the Carambola, a treat from India, the locals called it 'starfruit.' It was sweet and the skin had the tiniest hint of tartness and it tormented her tongue with pleasure. She had never tasted anything so sweet, so she ate a few, each sweeter then the last. 

The men smiled and laughed as they ate enjoyed the festivities, and it did them some good. They were hard as men should be, and they truly deserved this. Once the moon had risen to its greatest height Al Mualim had called for silence to fall and the music stopped, the feasting and dancing as well. Looking over the many faces of his loyal assassins and scholars, and those who had served the Brotherhood, he raised his arms and all eyes were upon him.

"My brothers and sons!" He glanced to Leah and the courtesans, the silent members of the Order, but particularly Leah. "And daughters and sisters," Leah and the other women smiled, appreciating the gesture, he then continued. "We celebrate tonight for many reasons, not all of which have been made known." Whispers suddenly penetrated the hushed silence that had overtaken the crowd. "Our brothers in arms have stopped a great threat and saved many lives and for this we praise Allah!" The crowd erupted in cheers that closely resembled the sound of roaring thunder. 

"But, our work is not yet done! With one head slain three more rise up and if we are to drive this beast from our lands and our people we must become stronger!" Many heads nodded in agreement, mostly from the men, hearts stirred and ready for battle. "We must reach out to our Orders in distant lands, to our brothers and sisters, the time has come to send our brightest and most skilled into the desert on a journey." Everyone was wondering the same question, who would it be? "Hamid!" It was Leah's uncle that stood and bowed slightly in respect. It was a good choice, her uncle was wise and once he was as deadly as the hidden blades the men carried. With the cheer of the room for the departure of one of their best, Leah's tasted only bitterness, she had been so sure this time that something would change, that by some means she would this time go with him.

That she would be part of the stories that he told her at night. But a sadness grew inside of her again, Nasira saw this and could not dispel it this time. Leah's happy spirit had faded now and she barely cast a look at her Uncle, only Nasira saw her sorrowful eyes. Out from the main hall she disappeared like a mirage until she found herself walking alone in the gardens.

The moon was at its highest and its soft light reflected on the still waters of one of the ponds, Leah's reflection looked back at her with sad eyes. Just hours ago she had looked at herself and seeing her qualities and how she had grown and changed, and she felt that she was ready for something new, but there was nothing. She splashed at her reflection, unhappy with herself, once again her reflection had fooled her into thinking that she had some semblance of worth, but she was just that, a girl and girls have little to no worth in the practical world. 

Too tired for tears instead Leah kicked off her shoes and scampered up into one of the lush trees, liking the feeling of the wood and bark against her feet. She climbed higher and higher till she was at least twenty-five feet in the air, Leah was not afraid of heights by any means but something always kept her from climbing to the top. She would often look in awe as the boys and the men made their Leaps of Faith in a spectacular fashion, jumping fearlessly into oblivion. But girls didn't do that. 

But she wanted too. To step out into the air and catch the wind as you fell, to feel light as a bird, or that was what she imagined it to feel like. She looked down to the ground and clambered a few more branches up till she sat comfortably against the great tree. Maybe someday she would take that leap. Maybe.

"Are you crying again?" The voice broke the nights stillness and Leah looked down to see someone she knew. A boy she'd known for many years, he did not yet wear the hood indicative of the assassin as he hadn't quite earned it just yet, but soon he would. His hair was brown and short, and it always had the look as though he'd just rolled out of bed, lazy bum. His eyes were just as brown as that mop of hair he sported, always insisting that he couldn't do anything with it. The corners of his mouth formed into a disapproving frown, he looked up at her through the branches weight on his right leg, impatiently tapping his left. "You don't make a very good spy, you know?" He gestured to her forgotten flats.

"Go away, Kadar." Leah responded pulling her legs close to her chest, she had known Kadar many years and he, like her uncle was very skilled at reading her. He gave no response and for a moment there was silence and the sound of boots on grass, but no talking away. Then in a not so graceful manner Kadar scaled the tree, making his way up to where Leah sat frowning. Kadar broke several small branches and twigs in his climb and after a few moments he sat opposite of Leah on a nearby obliging branch a few inches higher then Leah. 

"You know, the Grand Master doesn't like people climbing his trees," He warned, trying to determine Leah's spirits. 

"At least I didn't break branches on my way up." Leah countered, "I think all of Masyaf could hear you, you'll never be a great assassin if you can't scale a tree in relative silence." She wasn't trying to wound him, but rather when she was unhappy she merely said what she thought.

"I will too become an assassin, besides assassins scale walls, not trees." Kadar replied sitting back. "So, what are you crying about this time?" 

"I'm not crying." 

Kadar leaned forward, bracing himself on the branch Leah sat on and looked at her face very closely, "Alright, so you're not crying…" Leah gave a victorious smirk "But you were." The smirk faded. "So what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're not a very good liar, you know that, Little Mouse."

"Don't call me that!" Leah snapped back, having fallen into Kadar's sneaky verbal trap, realizing her mistake she turned her back to him.

"So, you had a fight with your uncle?" Kadar might have very well have been a money in another life, once he made it up the tree, he moved like he belonged there. Swinging on branches and hanging upside down, not quite graceful but natural, like a monkey. "Come one Leah, you can tell me." Leah's shoulder slumped considerably, she had originally sought solitude but then realized that perhaps she wanted someone to follow her and pry it out of her. Kadar leapt from one branch to another up higher, now hanging down by his knees, looking at Leah upside down, hoping to get a laugh out of her, but he did not. "It was that unpleasant?" 

"He said I was a troublesome girl who would never be prepared and that I would only get in the way." In truth that was not what her uncle had said, but it was all Leah heard. 

Kadar dropped down to Leah's branch and sat beside her "Why would he say that?"

"I asked to go with him this time." In an instant Kadar understood, Leah had gone on and spoken to her good friend for years about her desire to go on an adventure with her uncle and to see the world. He always said no, in Leah's youth she understood that but now she felt as though she would be trapped in Masyaf forever. 

"Well, you could have a worse lot in life," Kadar reasoned trying to help. "Think of the privileged life you lead here."

"Shackles of gold are still shackles."

"Leah, this place is hardly a prison." 

"Not to you," Leah said glumly "You will become an assassin and go places, do great things. I'll stay here." 

"Where would you want to go?"

"Anywhere. Its not that I hate this place, far from it. Masyaf is my home but I just thought that perhaps I would do more." Leah paused looking out into the night trying to form words to convey her despairs. "Doesn't it seem like I should be doing… something? Just… Something!"

Kadar understood Leah's deep and abiding pain, it was true Leah should have been doing something great, she was special. He found that he could offer her no words to console her but he tried anyway. "You'll get your chance." Leah didn't move or give an indication that she heard him, he playfully nudged her with his elbow. "Perhaps, you're being saved, saved for something special." 

"Like what?"

"Maybe the Library at Alexandria needs someone to memorize their books and scrolls." Leah chuckled "I don't know what you're being saved for, Leah." Leah felt tears burning at her eyes again and she tried desperately to blink them back burying her face into her knees, "Your time will come Leah, until then, stay here with us." Kadar offered placing an arm around her saying nothing more. 

"You won't say anything?" 

Kadar smiled "Never." 

OOO

Leah found herself looking up at the very same tree that six years ago she had found herself sitting up with a friend. The bark on the tree was very much the same and she felt the desire to climb it but decided against it, the sun would be up very soon and with it the next phase of her life. The Grand Master would be wanting to speak with her later, she knew. No doubt her uncle had informed Al Mualim of what happened in Alexandria. It was a strange mark of coincidence that in this garden Kadar made the suggestion that someday she would see Alexandria and here she was, returned precisely because of what happened there. 

Her fingertips brushed against the newly healed wound on her left side, she didn't flinch anymore, it didn't sting, in fact she felt nothing. Part of her felt like she was broken inside. The gardens wouldn't be quiet much longer, it was almost time for Fajr, Leah looked towards the horizon and rather then stay out and watch as the sun rose and offer her prayers outside in the beauty of the gardens, she turned back and began the short walk to her room. 

OOO

Chapter three is up! Hope everyone liked it, read and review! Thanks for the kudos and comment! Glad you guys like it o far! I have another Assassin's Creed fic, its a Connor/OFC, anyone interested in reading it?

**Author's Note:**

> 'Isha: (evening prayer): Before retiring for the night, Muslims again take time to remember God's presence, guidance, mercy, and forgiveness.
> 
> Phew! That was long! So, I think this may be the way in which chapters will go, not constant updates but very long. Read and review, and please if you review give me more then two or three words. Thanks everyone! 
> 
> And once more I have to apologize if I have anything wrong, let me know and what it is and what i should do and I will fix it right away! Its tough making an interesting, unique and historically accurate character in volatile times!
> 
> ~Wicked


End file.
